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- If you’d previously added other drives to your startup disk, click the delete volume button (–) to erase them. Then, choose Macintosh HD in the sidebar. Click the Erase button, then select a file system format and enter a name for it. For Macs with an M1 chip, your option for a file system format is only Apple File System (APFS).
www.backblaze.com/blog/how-to-wipe-a-mac-hard-drive/
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In Disk Utility on Mac, you can erase and reformat storage devices to use with your Mac. Erasing a storage device deletes everything on it. Important: If you have any files you want to save, copy them to another storage device before erasing a device.
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First, open Disk Utility on your Mac. You can search for it with Spotlight (click the search button in the menu bar or use the Command+Spacebar keyboard shortcut) or the search bar in Launchpad. Disk Utility can be opened in the Finder from Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
Next, connect the drive you want to erase, if you haven't already. You also need the sidebar visible to see all your connected drives. If the sidebar is hidden, click the View button and select "Show sidebar."
You need to select the drive in Disk Utility, not one of the partitions on the drive. The drive is listed in the sidebar above any partitions as the top-level item. For example, in the below screenshot, "Patriot Memory Media" the drive (and is selected) and "PATRIOT" is a FAT32 partition on the drive. If you perform a wipe on a partition instead of the drive, you may not erase all the data.
With the drive selected, click the Erase button at the top of the window. Disk Utility will open a popup menu allowing you to set the new drive name, file system/format, and the partition scheme. The available options will vary depending on the drive type and size.
If this is a USB drive, SD card, or other storage that needs to be accessible on non-Apple platforms, set the scheme to Master Boot Record (or GUID if that is unavailable) and the format to MS-DOS FAT (or exFAT if that one is not available). You may need to use exFAT if the drive is too large or if you want to use files larger than 4GB, but some devices can't read exFAT drives. Mac OS Extended format is only readable/writable by Mac computers.
If you want to securely wipe the drive so the files can't be recovered, click the "Security Options" button in the popup. This will show all available wipe options, from not zeroing out the drive at all (potentially allowing recovery tools to read the erased data) to writing over the entire drive seven times for maximum security. Every wipe adds more time to the process, especially for spinning mechanical disks and flash drives. In most cases, the second option (2x write over) is enough.
If you want to wipe your Mac's internal storage so you can safely sell it or give it to someone else, you need to do a full factory reset. This will not only erase the internal drive, but also reinstall macOS from the internet so it's ready to be set up again.
We have a dedicated guide for how to factory reset any Mac, so you can follow those instructions to wipe your Mac and set it up fresh.
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- Justin Pot
- Former News Editor
Secure erase is disabled for SSDs, but you can encrypt the drive with FileVault before erasing it normally. Open the Erase tab and press the Erase button. (Optional) Choose Reinstall Mac OS X to perform a clean installation.
Oct 2, 2024 · To both erase your Mac and reset it to factory settings, follow the steps in what to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac, but disregard the instructions for using Erase All Content and Settings. To only erase your Mac without resetting it to factory settings, learn how to erase a Mac with Apple silicon or erase an Intel-based Mac.
Sep 16, 2024 · Free up storage space on Mac. Learn what to do if your Mac startup disk is almost full, or you don't have enough storage space to download, install, or copy.
Jul 16, 2024 · If you’re looking to get rid of all the data on a Mac hard drive or SSD, you need to wipe it fully. Learn some safe and effective methods for wiping data.
Sep 20, 2021 · On a Mac, open the "Disk Utility" application, select the external drive in the list on the left, and click the "Erase" button in the toolbar. (You can also right-click the external drive in the list and select "Erase." By default, your Mac will note securely wipe the drive.
